Annual Short Courses

Each year, normally in the spring, UCMP presents a weekend short course in current topics of interest. The course is appropriate for the general public, and also contains information and activities of particular interest to science teachers.

2019

Whales have an evolutionary history stretching back more than 40 million years when primitive cetaceans first took to the sea. These marine mammals include the largest animals ever to have lived on Earth, making them the subject of both popular and scientific fascination. Research on modern whales’ size, morphology, migratory patterns, and sensory mechanisms continues to be informed by their fossil record, which also raises new questions about their unique adaptive and evolutionary transformations. Please join us to explore the latest research on whales from prominent biologists and paleontologists.

NOTE: Parking is always a problem on and near the campus. We strongly recommend taking public transportation. If this is not possible, public parking in the campus vicinity is indicated on the UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation website.

2018

From the surface of the Earth to the deep ocean, bacteria and their extremophile relatives drive fundamental chemical reactions that transform the planet and sustain life. The biologists, geologist, chemists, and environmental scientists in the emerging field of geomicrobiology – the study of how microorganisms interact with earth materials and the environment — are revealing new information about the genetics and fascinating chemical processes of the microbes that inhabit Earth’s soil, rocks, water, and atmosphere. These investigations of modern life — for example at hydrothermal vents and shallow hotsprings – provide a window into Earth’s history, helping us understand the remains of ancient bacteria in stromatolites and other rocks. In the process, they provide clues to how life originated, evolved, and transformed our own and perhaps other planets. These investigations also point to new ways that bacteria can be used to decontaminate polluted environments. Please join us to explore these connections revealed by the latest research at the intersection of microbiology and geology.

2017

Dinosaurs are among the most successful group of vertebrate animals ever to walk on the planet. Their stunning morphological diversity and worldwide fossil record – coupled with their modern-day surviving lineage, the birds – continue to fascinate the student in all of us. Novel analytical tools and techniques allow paleontologists to probe, image, and decipher bone microstructure and preservation critical for testing previously held ideas on dinosaur growth and development. Recent dinosaur discoveries and research by our speakers are helping clarify evolutionary relationships and generate new and exciting questions on dinosaur growth and behavior. Please join us as our experts share their latest research and reveal changing perspectives on the evolution and paleobiology of dinosaurs.

NOTE: Parking is always a problem on and near the campus. We strongly recommend taking public transportation. If this is not possible, public parking in the campus vicinity is indicated on this two-page pdf.

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Visiting

The UCMP is primarily a research museum and our collections are only open to the public during our annual open house on Cal Day. However, we have a limited number of fossil exhibits on display, including a magnificent Tyrannosaurus rex . These can be viewed, free of charge, any time the Valley Life Sciences Building is open. Learn more here.